I normally check the tab menu while I'm running around from part to part or while I'm buffing something. I like to see what we will be going up against, for example if I'm in a match and I see that there's a ship with 2 gunners I can let my captain know that they will probably be an easier target to kill than a ship with 2 engis. I personally would rather have the mute menu separate from the tab menu. You could also make it look different than the tab menu and include spectators since there isn't a way to mute them using the current menu.